Thursday, March 15, 2012

I am a huge fan of Fringe, the sci-fi show brought to be my lovely JJ Abrams. The show basically follows a team that uses “fringe” science and investigates unexplained occurrences most of them relating to a parallel universe (where the Green Arrow is the Red Arrow and the West Wing is still on the air). I would be lying if I said that part of the reason I am crushing on Peter Bishop is due to the fact that he is played by Joshua Jackson (What can I say I thought Dawson’s Creek should have been the Pacey show). There is something about Joshua (besides being a complete hottie). He has presence and has the ability to make you smile and relate to him. Plus Peter is a bad ass.

Peter is the man who has been there and done that despite his young age. He speaks like seven languages, can charm the pants (including me out of mine) off of anyone and is extremely intelligent. More than that he is extremely loyal and caring to both Walter, Olivia and Astrid. He is a man who can macgyver a defibrillator, but he can also hold and short a gun. He’s a bit of a gentleman rogue. That’s sexy.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

With the new Avengers trailer out and the countdown beginning for me, I thought we would discuss the top seven comic book films that have come out. These are my picks.

ONE: HELLBOY Based on Mike Mignola’s Dark horse comic series, Guillermo del Toro managed to bring Big Red to cinematic life much to my glee. Hellboy is a great character. He is as endearing and funny as much as he is total bad ass. I think Del Toro does a great job of showing that the freaks and geeks of the world can be heroes too. Plus it has Ron Perlman (I grew up watching Beauty and the Beast and even have a cd of ‘Beast’ reciting poetry with the score from the show just like he did on the show), Selma Blair (Who wouldn't want to be Liz), and proves that men like Doug Jones (Abe Sapien, but who also was the Lead Gentleman in the Buffy episode ‘Hush’) and Andy Serkis can do more wonder in SFX makeup and green suits than most actors can. I also love the detail that goes into Guillermo’s films. Love, love, love this film.

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TWO: BATMAN BEGINS I grew up a Batman girl. He had no superpowers, was definitely no boyscout like Superman and then there was the whole bat thing. Now I loved Tim Burton’s Batman, but Christopher Nolan’s reboot is a creature all its own. We had been watching superhero films, but few were relatable. In a way they seemed too otherworldly, too ‘comic-y’. Batman was now grounded in a world we could relate to and the ‘comic’ feel went away. Now it wasn't just geeks watching movies made from comic series. There is also something about an origin film as well that can be satisfying. Batman was cool. Batman was scary and I got to watch how he got there. And for the first time I even got my father interested in a comic book film. What can I say it is a start.

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THREE: SPIDER-MAN 2 While Spider-man is pretty kick ass. Spider-Man 2 is kickass times kickass. It is kickass squared. By Spider-Man 2 Spidey is already the hero and yet has mundane problems like keeping your grades up, wooing the girl he loves, and keeping a job. You cant help but like Peter just as you cannot help but like Doctor Octopus played brilliantly by Alfred Molina. Doc Ock was a role model before he became the big bad and that gives his character some depth, depth I appreciated. Plus we got to see Peter rise again even after he is put through hell. Again an amazing film and I miss seeing Tobey McGuire in films of late. (though excited to see him in Great Gatsby).

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FOUR: KICK ASS We’ve always wondered what would happen if regular people decided to be superheroes, fighting crime and wearing costumes. We’d probably think they were all nutters. Mark Millar and John Romita Jr explored these ideas in their comic series. Matthew Vaughn brought it to life (He directed X-Men: First Class and is a frequent collaborator with Guy Ritchie). While the movie isn't always plausible (Hit Girl being able to trounce bad guys three times her size or lets face it jet packs) and yet I love the brutal, gritty nature of it all. While there are deviations from the comics, it is a fairly faithful adaptation. Also I just love Hit Girl.

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FIVE: IRON MAN Despite being more of a DC/Vertigo girl, Marvel has the Avengers and Tony Stark is both a bad ass and an ass hat. Who knew that Iron Man would become such a household name the way that Batman, Superman or Spidey is? While Iron Man in another origin story and thus has the same hero’s journey, Robert Downey Jr owned that role and the film would not be the same without him. He was funny, charming, and a bit of an ass but that is who Tony Stark is. And seriously just give RBD Jr an Oscar already as he is an amazing actor, one I will go and see any film for.

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SIX: SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLDDirector Edgar Wright is the shit and he makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. It began with Shaun of the Dead and Spaced and continued with Hot Fuzz. He was actually a great choice to bring Scott Pilgrim to life. The film has everything that made me love Bryan O’Malley’s series and yet had enough geeky references (name those video game soundbytes) to make a geeky video game playing, comic book reading girl like me one very happy camper.

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SEVEN: TANK GIRL As a fan of the comics by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin, I was happy to see Tank Girl come to the big screen. While most people would put it on their worst lists, I love it anyway. It’s funny, snarky, and entertaining. Yeah there are a hell of a lot of differences and some of my fave bits got axed, and yet I feel the same way as I do the book/movie of Practical Magic: they are different creatures. I think Lori Petty and Naomi Watts were perfect as our dynamic duo and they make me happy. Also the film has a kick ass soundtrack that frequently plays on my ipod which includes tracks from Bjork, Portishead, Veruca Salt, and L7.

HONORABLE MENTIONS The Crow, The Rocketeer, A History of Violence, RED, Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Chronicle (2012)Directed By: Josh TrankWritten By: Max LandisGenre: ACTION/SCI-FITime: 83 minStarring: Dane DeHaan, Michael B Jordan, and Alex RussellPlot: Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.

Comments: While the Blair Witch Project helped the whole found footage/faux documentary become the new schtick in film, for me it was the brilliant Cloverfield that made it all popular again. And why not, its a fun and interesting gimmick, especially in this day and age where cell phone footage and youtube videos are everywhere. When I first saw the Chronicle trailer, I turned to Finn and said yes. I was hooked. I couldn't wait to see it. Filmmakers Josh Trank shows that there can be great films using the whole found footage thing. They don’t have to be relegated to horror films with no character development. It doesnt have to be scare to scare. The special effects aren’t bad at all and I loved how creative they were with the events caught on tape. There were cell phones, CCTV, camcorders and more. And while yes Andrew has this American Beauty like fondness for cameras it works especially when his power grows and the camera opens things up and gives the audience different perspectives.

I like Andrew. Played by Dane DeHaan (I knew him from In Treatment though he looks like a young Dicaprio from his Growing Pains years) you can relate to Andrew even from the opening shot when he is filming his bedroom door waiting for his father to beat the shit out of him. He is the shy loner who gets bullied too much at home and away from home. You root for him to be able to strike back and you also mourn for him.

I think one of the things I really love about this film is the what if. I remember there was a This American Life about superpowers. They asked if given a choice would you choose invisibility or flight? The answers were not selfless. It was always about what you could get away with or do, not about saving the world. And lets face it if you were a teenager who suddenly has amazing telekinetic powers you would do stuff like trying to impress the opposite sex, getting back at bullies, messing with people and having fun. You certainly wouldn't go all Superman or Wonder Woman. I mean what would you do if you could levitate objects, fly and be an overall telekinetic genius when you were 17? Watching the guys grow into their powers and explore their relationships and lives doesn't get old.

In short I loved it. And it definitely will be going on the movie shelves when it comes to DVD later this year.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Glenn from the Walking Dead I love The Walking Dead, both the comic and the tv series. I started reading the comic when the first trades came out and I was immediately hooked. While the journey is essentially Rick’s, I have always been fond of Glenn. Played by Steven Yeun on the AMC series, my crush has grown just a wee bit more (seriously he could not get any cuter and his appearances on Talking Dead make me crush a bit more). Glenn is the one character I can really relate to: the nice possibly nerdy boy next door. He is hope, he is humor, he is the happy balance of sweet guy and nice shot and did I mention he is completely adorable. Plus when the zombie apocalypse happens he would be nice to have watching your back. They always say those who slay zombies together, stay together. Or maybe I just made that up.

In the comics, Glenn was a pizza delivery guy with far too much debt when the dead started to rise. In the beginning he was the scavenger who would venture into the city to get supplies as he was the only one quick and smart enough to evade and fight the hordes. On one of his outings he finds and rescues Rick, and they later become friends. Later, he meets Maggie Greene and the two become very close, even to the point where he and Maggie are married and he becomes Sophia’s unofficial adopted father.